Rockefeller Discloses He Has Urged Nixon to Sell Israel the 125 Jets She Requested

Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller said here last night that he had on two occasions last week urged President Richard M. Nixon to sell Israel the 25 Phantoms and 100 Sky-hawk jets it has urgently requested. The New York Republican made the disclosure in an address to 600 delegates attending the 41st annual convention of the National Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs of the United Synagogue of America, the congregational branch of Conservative Judaism. Other speakers included Morton Tabas, Federation president, Sol M. Linowitz, head of the American Council on Education’s special committee on campus tensions and Rabbi Joel S. Geffen, of New York. “Israel must remain free,” Gov. Rockefeller declared. “To stay free she must stay strong. For her strength, she must have the support of the nations of the free world. Good will is not enough. Israel must have good arms. That is why I have long advocated that our government supply Israel with the arms she needs to insure her survival. Of all the nations of the world, none has a more vital Interest in Israel than the U.S. We cannot fail her now. Our commitment to stand by her must be firm.”

Mr. Linowitz, who accepted the Federation’s 1970 award for “Distinguished service to Jewry” spoke on the right of dissent. “We have enough violence in our society, on and off the campus,” he said. “Students have the right to speak, to print, to assemble peacefully, to picket–to engage in any and all activities which fall under the heading of peaceful persuasion.” He said “youthful rejection of established attitudes is far less damaging than would be uncritical acceptance of what is,” Mr. Tabas urged the leaders of Conservative Jewry to give the highest priority to “bridging the generation gap.” He said, “The answer to our convention theme, the quest for Jewish identity,..is largely a problem of survival and is thus primarily directed to our youth.” Rabbi Geffen stressed the need for “self education” and said that “the time for superficial learning is long past. Jewish identity can only come from self-pride and knowledge of one’s heritage.”